Memoir Book Reviews

Wisely worded recollections from slightly simpler times, author Edward A. Joseph bares his soul in Giving Back: Memories, Reflections, and Lessons Learned, a heartwarming, powerful, and easy-to-read collection.

With an impressive career as a published storyteller, these personal and previously published stories are healthy, honest, and unafraid to probe the deeper meaning behind the simple joys and moments of life. From cinematic childhood misadventures as a caddy to his brief but hilariously recounted time as a car salesman, Joseph peels back his losses, victories, and discoveries with a smirk and a shrug.

Summoning full-bodied characters, eras, and visceral moments, […]

Author Grace Venters speaks her difficult and powerful truth in The Phantom Killer and Her Autistic Son: A Mother’s Journey to Love and Acceptance, a tender, humble, and educational memoir.

Detailing her unique challenges and rewards as the mother of an autistic child, William, her story is unfiltered and fearless, giving voice to what millions of parents feel, but rarely express. For readers experiencing a similar diagnosis within their own family, this narrative will provide hope, as well as practical ideas and strategies for the tough or exhausting times ahead. As Venters leads readers through William’s early years, the […]

Michael Jean DuBois captures nearly two years of his life via phone messages with his sister in Texting Mia, an experimental memoir that grips the heartstrings with unvarnished honesty.

The vicissitudes of fate land the author and his sister, Mia, back in the home of their Haitian parents as they both try to find a new path forward. As expected, long-dormant wounds reopen and old family trauma bubbles to the surface. The author holds little back as he recounts the upbringing with his parents, and the brutality he and his sister experienced at their hands. As they did when […]